Published on January 8, 2019 | Updated on January 29, 2019

CORTEX conference by Ole Petter Ottersen

July 5th, 2017

Aquaporin water channels and their roles in brain physiology and pathophysiology

Ole Petter OTTERSEN has made seminal discoveries in the field of water transport in the brain and other tissues through unique channels called “Aquaporins”. He achieved this through the development and application of novel technological approaches, and correlating them with physiological and clinical observations. Further, he and his collaborators have contributed to our understanding of the structure, biology and therapeutic potential of regulating their action. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is one of the most abundant molecules in the brain and is particularly prevalent in astrocytic membranes at the blood-brain and brain-liquor interfaces. Prof. OTTERSEN will offer a brief general overview of the topic and share some exciting soon-to-be‐published work on the central role of AQP4 in the “glymphatic” waste clearance system that is dependent on glia and akin to the lymphatic system in other organs. He has directed The Center of Excellence In Molecular Biology & Neuroscience and coordinated one of the first Nordic Centers of Excellence in Molecular Medicine, before being elected twice, Rector of the University of Oslo. In August 2017 he became President of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. Prof. OTTERSEN is chair of the Kavili prize committee in Neuroscience. He has received several awards including the Anders Jahre Medical Prize and Lundbeck’s Nordic Research Prize and a Doctorat Honoris Causa from the ENS Lyon.